It has been the force's job to manage and pay to run the sites, including traffic light cameras, with councils paying for maintenance.

However, the cash-strapped local authorities balked at the estimated £580,000 cost of upgrading the cameras to digital film, and do not have the money to continue running them. Removing the cameras would cost £600,000.

The police are now using mobile cameras at speeding hotspots across Birmingham, Coventry, and the Black Country.